Junior-college transfer Stephen Houston’s 802 rushing yards in 2011 were the most by an Indiana back in eight years. Safety Mark Murphy was second on the team in tackles and returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown.

Newcomers to watch

Speedy freshmen Tevin Coleman and Kevin Davis are said to be good enough to contribute right away, Coleman as a rushing/receiving threat out of the backfield and Davis as a wideout.

Keys to the offense

Wilson said the Hoosiers won’t “be a good team in the Big Ten with average quarterback play,” which means sophomore Tre Roberson needs to improve as a passer or risk losing his job. New coordinator Seth Littrell ran the offense last season at Arizona, which finished third nationally in passing yards.

Keys to the defense

The Hoosiers need to score more points because “we’re not at a point physically in year two to play lights-out, great defense,” Wilson said. He does think they’ll be better than the group that ranked last across the board in the conference.

Special-teams standout

Shane Wynn averaged 21.1 yards per kickoff return, including a 99-yarder for a touchdown.

Question marks

The biggest question is the same as usual: Does Indiana have enough size and talent to compete with the rest of the Big Ten? But the list is long. Is there a trigger man for an effective passing game, and playmakers who can score? Any stoppers on defense?

Outlook

More than 30 players have left since Wilson arrived, and he is confident he now has a roster that buys what he is selling. But how many wins will that buy? They’ll still order up a bagel in the Big Ten unless they can ambush Iowa at home.